Meat Preservation.  Today, meat is most often preserved through freezing and refrigeration.  When this method becomes obsolete, new method must be acquired to provide meat throughout the year. Canning, smoking, and curing meat are all effective ways of prolonging the shelf life of meat.
Canning meat is a safe way to preserve meat without refrigeration. You just have to follow the correct procedures. Meat is naturally low in acid. Bacterial growth is hindered by the acid found in foods. Since meat is very low in acid, certain harmful bacteria thrive. Therefore, to can meat, you must super-heat it to 240F degrees, which means it must always be processed by pressure canning, not with boiling water baths that are fine for preserving such high-acid foods such as tomatoes.  Pressure canning as well as boiling water baths can be performed using an open fire.
Curing meat with salt is another practical way to preserve meat. Salt is one of my stockpile items. Table salt is the primary ingredient used in meat curing. Removal of water and addition of salt to meat creates a solution-rich environment where osmotic pressure draws water out of microorganisms, retarding their growth. Doing this requires a concentration of salt of nearly 20%.  In addition, salt causes the soluble meat proteins to come to the surface of the meat particles within sausages. These proteins coagulate when heated helping to hold the sausage together. Salt also slows the oxidation process, effectively preventing the meat from going rancid.
Meat can also be preserved by "smoking", which is to dry the meat in the presence of wood fire that produces a large amount of smoke. Drying meat while smoking it will also keep it tender. Smoking originally kept flies away from the meat until it was dried. Smoking meat can be done in combination with other curing methods such as salting and helps seal the outer layer of the meat making it more difficult for bacteria to enter.